(Reuters) -WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said on Friday the league “has to do better” to make players feel valued after sharp criticism from Minnesota Lynx’s Napheesa Collier, while vowing to repair trust as the deadline for contentious collective bargaining talks looms.

Collier, a five-time All-Star and vice president of the players’ union, voiced her criticism after a controversial no-call in the final minute of the Lynx’s Game 3 semi-final against Phoenix Mercury, accusing the league of a “tone-deaf, dismissive” approach to player concerns.

“If the players don’t feel appreciated and valued by the league, then we have to do better,” Engelbert told reporters ahead of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals between the Las Vegas Aces and the Mercury.

“We know how great these players are on and of

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